NB: as far as known, foundation dates refer to football sections of the clubs
and not necessarily to the clubs themselves
(Until 1900)
1872 Football Club Havrais [did not play football but "combinaison"; disbanded 1882]
1879 Paris FC
1882 Racing Club de France (Paris)
1883 Stade Français de Paris
1890 Paris Association FC
1891 White Rovers FC (Paris)
Standard Athletic Club (Paris) [founded as Gordon FC]
1892 Sporting Club Neuilly [founded as Cercle Athlétique]
Cercle Pedestre d'Asnières
Club Français de Paris
International Athletic Club (Paris)
Club Malherbe Caennais [merged 1913 with Club Sportif Caennais to Stade Malherbe Caennais]
FC Grenoble [merged 1997 with SC Grenoble to Grenoble Foot 38]
1893 FC Mulhouse [founded as FC Mülhausen]
1894 United Sport Club (Paris)
FC Levallois [merged 1950 with Racing Club de Colombes to Levallois SC]
Union Athlétique du 1er Arrondissement de Paris
Red Star de Paris
Stade Bordelais
Le Havre Athletic Club [founded in 1884; football section since 1894; the foundation year of 1872, as
claimed by the club itself, in fact referred to FC Havrais]
Sporting Club de Tourcoing
Union Sportive de Calais [merged 1974 with Racing Club de Calais to Calais RUFC]
Iris Club (Lille) [merged 1944 as Olympique Irish Club with SC Fivois to Olympique SC Lille]
1895 Racing Club de Roubaix
FC Lyon
Olympique de Paris
1896 Racing Club de France (Paris)
FC Dieppe
1897 Red Star Amical Club (Paris)
Burdiglia (Bordeaux)
Racing Bordelais
Jeunes Sports de Bordeaux
Sports Athlétiques Bordelais
Union Sportive d'Avranches
1898 Union Sportive de Marseille
Sporting Club de Marseille
Étoile des Deux Lacs (Paris)
Sports Athlétiques Toulousains
Union Sportive de Tourcoing
Union Sportive de Boulogne Côte d'Opale [founded as US Boulonnaise]
1899 Olympique de Marseille
FC Rouen [founded as FC Rouennais]
Club Sportif Caennais [merged 1913 with Club Malherbe Caennais to Stade Malherbe Caennais]
1900 Union Sportive Troyenne [merged 1931 with AS Sainte-Savine to AS Troyenne et Savienne]
FC Haguenau [merged 1987 with Sports Réunis Haguenau to FC Sport Réunis Haguenau]
(Main foundations 1900-1950)
1901 Stade Rennais FC
Nimes Olympique [founded as Sporting Club Nimois]
Amiens SC [founded as Amiens Athlétic Club]
FC Sète [founded as Olympique Cettois]
FC Nancy [founded as Stade Universitaire Lorrain]
Sporting Club d'Abbeville [founded as Football Abbevillois]
1902 Racing Club de Calais [merged 1974 with Union Sportive de Calais to Calais RUFC]
UA Cognac
Olympique Lyonnais [founded as Lyon Olympique as merger of Racing Club, Stade Lyonnais,
Phylegie Club and Club Sportif Lyonnais]
Olympique Sport Club de Lille Métropole [founded as Olympique Lillois]
Stade Lavallois Mayenne FC [founded as Stade Lavallois]
Union Sportive du Mans [merged 1985 with Stade Olympique du Maine to Le Mans Union Club]
Stade Béthunois FC
Union Sportive de Chantilly
1903 Monaco Sport [founded as Herculis FC de Monaco; merged 1924 with Swimming Club,
AC Riviera, Etoile de Monaco and AS Beausoleil to Association Sportive de Monaco FC]
La Berrichonne de Chateauroux
1904 OGC Nice Côte d'Azur
Olympique FC de Charleville
Pau FC [founded as Bleuets Notre-Dame de Pau]
Paris Saint-Germain FC [founded as Stade Saint-Germain]
Stade Helvétique de Marseille
1905 Association Jeunesse Auxerroise
Besançon Racing Club [founded as Racing Club Franc-Comtois de Besançon]
Stade Quimpérois
Thionville FC [founded as FC Diedenhofen]
1906 Racing Club de Lens [founded as Racing Club Lensois]
Racing Club de Strasbourg [founded as FC Neudorf]
Association Sportive de Cherbourg Football [founded as Stella de Cherbourg]
Section Athlétique Universitaire de Limoges
1909 Association Sportive de Cannes
Union Sportive de Forbach [founded as SC Forbach as merger of FC Phönix, FC Triumph and FC Hansa]
1910 Athlétic Club Ajaccien
Association Sportive Nancy-Lorraine [founded as US Frontière]
1911 Stade de Reims [founded as Société Sportive du Parc Pommery]
Stade Beziérs Sport [later merged with other clubs to Entente Sportive Bitteroise]
Clermont Foot Auvergne [founded as Stade Clermontois]
Jeunesse Athlétique Armentièroise
1912 Hyères FC
En Avant de Guingamp
Blois Foot 41 [founded as AAJ Blois]
FC Antibes Juan-les-Pins [founded as Olympique d'Antibes]
Union Sportive d'Albi
Spiel-Vereinigung Metz 1912 [merger of Metzer SpVgg, FC Metis Metz and FC Alte Herren Metz]
1913 Valenciennes FC [founded as FC de Valenciennes]
Athlétic Club Arlésien [merger of Arles Sports, Arles Auto-vélo and La Pédale joyeuse]
Association Sportive de Chatou [founded as Jeunesse Sportive de Chatou]
1917 Red Star de Limoges
UNion Sportive Alençonnaise 61 [founded as Club Sportif d'Alençon]
1919 Angers Sporting Club de l'Ouest [founded as Sporting Club de l'Ouest Angers]
Club Sportif Sedan Ardennes [founded as Union Athlétique Sedan-Torcy]
Athlétique Club Cambrésien
FC des Girondins de Bordeaux
Club Sportif Orne 1919 Amnéville-les-Thermes
Cercle Athlétique Bastiais [merged 1988 with Gallia Lucciana and AS Toga Cardo to Cercle
Athlétique Bastais Gallua Lucciana]
Union Sportive du Littoral de Dunkerque
1920 Angoulême Charente FC [founded as SC Angoulême]
FC Istres Ouest Provence [founded as Section Sportive Istréenne]
Union Sportive Orléanaise [founded as Arago Sports Orléanais]
Etoile Filante Bastiaise
Sports Réunis de Colmar [founded as Association Sportive de Colmar]
Sports Réunis de Haguenau [merged 1987 with FC Haguenau to FC Sports Réunis Haguenau]
1921 FC Martigues [founded as Sporting Club de Martigues]
1923 Olympique d'Alès [founded as Olympique Alésien as merger of Red Star, Boxing
and Club Sportif des Cheminots]
1924 Association Sportive de Monaco FC [merger of Monaco Sport, Swmming Club, AC Riviera,
Etoile de Monaco and AS Beausoleil]
Entente Sportive de Wasquehal [founded as Union Sportive de Wasquehal]
1925 Chamois Niortais FC
1926 FC Lorient-Bretagne Sud [founded as FC Lorientais]
1927 FC Annecy
1928 FC Sochaux-Montbéliard [founded as FC Sochaux]
Excelsior Athlétic Club de Robaix [merger of FC Roubaix and EXcelsior Club de Tourcoing]
1931 Avignon Football 84 [founded as Association Sportive Avignonaise]
1932 FC Metz [merger of AS Metz and CA Messin Metz]
1933 Association Sportive de Saint-Etienne
Sporting Club du Temple Toulon
1935 Association Sportive de Porto Vecchio
1937 Toulouse FC
1940 FC Gueugnon [merger of AS Société Municipale and AS Foch]
1941 Association Sportive Aixoise
1943 FC Nantes Atlantique [founded as FC Nantes as merger of Saint-Pierre, Stade Nantais UC,
AC Batignolles, ASO Nantaise and Mellinet]
1944 Sporting Toulon Var [merger of Sporting Club du Temple and Jeunesse Sportive Toulonnaise]
1945 Club Olympique de Roubaix-Tourcoing [merger of Racing Club de Roubaix, Excelsior de Roubaix and US Tourcoing]
Union Sportive de Saint-Denis
1946 Association Sportive d'Algrange
1947 Limoges FC [merger of Red Star and Union Sportive Athléthique de Limoges]
1950 Stade Brestois 29 [merger of Armoricaine, Avenir, Milice Saint-Michel, Jeunes de Saint-Marc
and Flamme du Pilier Rouge]
Corsica List of Foundation Dates
1905 Sporting Club de Bastia
1908 Union Sportive des Clubs du Cortenais
1910 Athletic Club Ajaccio
Gazelec FC Olympique Ajaccio
1918 Borgo FC
1920 Cercle Athletique Bastiais
Football Jeunesse Etoile (Biguglia)
Etoile Filante Bastiais
1928 Olympique de Ajaccio
1919 Gallia Club de Lucciana
1935 AS de Porto-Vecchio
1936 Squadra Valinco Alta Rocca Rizzanese [founded as CA Propriano]
1976 FC Balagne
1986 FC Squadra Calvi [founded as FC Calvi]
1987 AS Furiani-Agliani
2001 Racing Club du Centre (Morosaglia)
2017 FC Bastia-Borgo
Women Club Foundation Dates
1902 En Avant! de Paris [refounded 1912]
1912 Jul Fémina Sport de Paris [1911 split from En Avant!]
En Avant de Paris
1915 Académia Club de Paris
1918 AS de la Seine (Paris) [founded as Cercle des Sports de Paris]
Club Féminin Français (Paris)
Olympique de Paris [merger of Olympique de Pantin and SC Vaugirard]
1919 Ecole du Haut Enseignement Commercial (Paris)
1920 Les Sportives de Reims [founded as Gallia Club Remois]
US Clodoaldienne
Ruche Sportive Féminine (Paris)
Les Sportives de Paris
AS Versaillaise
Fémina de Quevillaise (Rouen)
1921 La Stella du Raincy
192? Club Athlétique de la Société Générale de Marseille
1927 Olympique de Marseille
1957 ES Cormelle-le-Royale
1968 Vie au Grand Air de St.-Maur (St.-Maur-des-Fossés)
Association Sportive Jeunesse Soyaux (Soyaux-Charente)
Sporting Club Caluire (St.-Clair)
May Stade de Reims [founded as FCF Reims]
1970 Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) [founded as FC Lyon]
Arago Sport Orléanais (Orléans)
FC de Rouen [dissolved 1977]
1971 FCF Juvisy Essonne (Juvisy-sur-Orge)
Paris St.-Germain FC
May 16 FF Quemperois
1972 FCF Hénin-Beaumont
1973 En Evant de Guingamp [founded as Le St.-Brieuc Sports Chaffoteaux]
1974 FC Vendenheim Alsace
Brest Bergo
1975 FC Vendenheim
COM Bagneux
1977 Association Sportive de St.-Étienne [founded as Racing Club de St.-Étienne]
USO Bruay-la-Buissière
1978 Etoile Sportive Ornaysienne de Football Vendée (La Roche-sur-Yon)
FCF Homecourt
1980 Toulouse FC [founded as Toulouse Olympique Aérospatioal Club]
1990 Montpellier Hérault SC (Villeneuve-lès-Maghuelone)
1993 Rodez Aveyron Football (Rodez)
1995 FF Nîmes Métropole Gard [founded as FC Jonquierois]
1999 FF Yzeure Allier Auvergne (Yzeure)
Source for women clubs before 1930: [Fal 17-18]
Thanks to Erik Garin for corrections
Prepared and maintained by Hans Schöggl for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Author: Hans Schöggl
Last updated: 10 Jun 2025
(C) Copyright Hans Schöggl and RSSSF 2007/25
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper
acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.